Whether you’re looking for a budget friendly hostel, a family-run guesthouse or a boutique hotel, this guide on where to stay in San Andres has you covered.

Updated October 2024

If you're unsure about where to stay in San Andres, or want to narrow down the options to suit your solo backpacker or travelling couple budget - or know where to splurge if you’ve got the funds - then this post is here to help.

Although accommodation in San Andres is more expensive than most places on the Colombian mainland, there are still decent number of hostels where it's possible to get a dorm bed for less than $16 USD, and a decent guesthouse for less than $30USD.

Although the comfort levels, aesthetics and facilities aren't at the standard expected for that price in most of Colombia, they are perfectly fine as a central base and bed. And staying on a Caribbean island for under twenty quid is still an absolute steal!

If you're a travelling couple like us, then private double room options are in high demand and tend to be overpriced (£25-£50 / $32-64) per night. We did a lot of research to try and find somewhere that was in our budget, in a decent location, and also a bit nicer than the privates most hostels offered in San Andres - and we've included a section at the end of this post which lists our recommendations for better value guesthouses and Airbnbs for couples in San Andres. We have also noted in each specific hostel description whether it's a good option for couples!

Here are our pick of the best hostels in San Andres for travellers!

We know that not everyone has the time - or inclination - to read every recommendation we have on where to stay in San Andrés, so below you’ll find a handful of our top picks for every travel style and budget.

Chill Hostel // Karibbik Haus Hostel

Party Hostel // Dreamer Beach Club

Budget-Friendly Guest House // Posada Nativa Licy or Summer Breeze

Best Hostel & Hotel Combo // Hotel Nomadic Design

Boutique Hotel // Nattivo Collection Hotel

Beach Side Escape // Hotel Reina del Mar By Dorado

Downtown Apartment // Luxury Beach Loft

Entire Beach House // The Palm Beach House

Perfect Airbnb for Couples // Boho Sai

Where To Stay in San Andres

Most of the longstanding and popular hostels and guesthouses in San Andres are based in the Almendros neighborhood, part of San Andres town. This is a quiet residential spot about 15-20 minutes walk from the clogged centre of San Andres town and its two pretty but crowded beaches (Spratt Bright and Playa Principal). It’s easily accessible by taxi from the airport for around COP$21,000. From this neighbourhood, it's also really easy to rent a scooter or golf cart to make your way around the island or jump on the regular public bus.

There are however a few more places to stay (including Airbnbs) starting to pop up further afield on the southern end of San Andres, much closer to the best beaches and swimming holes. This setting is attractive for obvious reasons, but it does mean that you need to hop on the regular public bus (2,600 COP one-way) to get into town and will be limited for supermarkets and nightlife etc in the evening. However, that's a very small inconvenience if your priority is to have a few days at the beach and chilled out relaxation on a Caribbean island.

Whichever area you stay in, we recommend sending the accommodation an email the day before your arrival to confirm the best way to access them from the airport and expected costs. A few of them may offer to arrange a taxi on your behalf for no extra cost, let you know if there are other guests on the same flight with whom you can share, or even come and collect you! Lastly, if your hostel pops up as a 10-15 minute walk from the airport on Google Maps, it is absolutely possible to walk it in the heat - but never do this at night.

Top Tip // San Andres gets sticky, humid and hot. Whichever part of the island you stay on, air-con in your hostel or guesthouse will make a very big difference - but be aware that several hostels don’t have it in dorms or private rooms.

Best Hostels in San Andres

Karibbik Haus Hostel | Colourful, clean, quiet, and secure, this is a popular family-run hostel hostel in the Almendros neighbourhood. It offers aircon in the two dorms as well as the private rooms, huge lockers for your stuff, plus a guest kitchen and social common areas, as well as free luggage storage. This is explicitly not a party hostel.

Blue Almond Hostel | A long-time favourite of San Andres backpackers, this is a family-run hostel in the Almendras neighbourhood with excellent value dorms. Guests can enjoy a big communal kitchen, directly rent motorbikes and golf carts, use the free surf boards and also enjoy free luggage storage if they're heading to Providencia. The hostel could however do with a bit of an upgrade on certain features though, and doesn't have any air-conditioning.

Viajero San Andres Hostel | Located in its own downtown central tower block, this popular hostel (part of the Viajero chain) offers a free breakfast and guest kitchen, as well salsa classes and a rooftop bar with great views. The dorms are pretty good too, with bunk bed lockers and storage space. Be aware that this is definitely more of a social party hostel than the others in this list.

Dorms start at $16 USD whereas private doubles are around $60 USD - this is right at the top-end for San Andres, so backpacker couples can get better deals elsewhere.

Dreamer Beach Club | Another chain hostel, this place -located in the north of the island - falls firmly into the realms of ‘luxury flashpacker’. It’s huge, has two massive pools, a vast communal area, on-site restaurant and bar and good dorms and privates (although do be aware that their privates really are eye-waveringly expensive and almost certainly more than we’d pay).

Villa Sarie Bay | With the cheapest dorms we could find in San Andres, we were actually surprised at how great the reviews were for this hostel. It's got one large 10-bed mixed dorm and a few private rooms, with a well-equipped outdoor shared kitchen and some common areas.

They offer excellent value dorms, alongside doubles for around $20USD a night.

Posada Nativa Lizard House is another bargain backpacker option. It's basic, but would do the job if you're on a budget, only here for a few nights, and have low expectations.

Big V Raizal (not currently accepting bookings) | One of the only hostels which is owned and operated by a local Raizal family - the native people of San Andres - staying here offers an incredible one-off experience to understand the culture a little more, be welcomed into a family environment with home-cooked evening meals, and be removed from other foreign and national tourists (it’s in quite a remote part of the island. Many travellers say it was their best hostel experience in all of Colombia!

Best Guesthouses in San Andres For Travelling Couples

The most affordable option for couples in San Andres tends to be rooms in a family-run guesthouse or posada, rather than a hostel private.

Often the guest areas and rooms are in the same building as the family home, but facilities, entrances and people are kept quite separate. However, as there are dozens and dozens of these guesthouses in and around San Andres town - all offering much of a muchness - it can be pretty hard to distinguish between them if you aren’t trying to get the cheapest available.

So, to make things a little easier for you, we've included several guesthouses that we would happily have stayed in which have great reviews and a really good price, plus the guesthouse we actually stayed in for five nights.

Hostal Marlyn | Situated close to the airport and the two city beaches, this highly-rated guesthouse offers large, clean private rooms with air-con.

Summer Breeze | With most of the hostel rooms either offering poor value or no availability, we spent a lot of time trying to find a guesthouse in San Andres with lots of natural light in the bedroom, a guest kitchen, and relative comfort; although it was a little more than we planned on paying, we were pretty happy with our stay at here. It’s run by the very friendly Estella in the Almendros neighbourhood, and she was kind enough to let us store our bags for our visit to Providencia.

Lili House | Clean and modern on the outskirts of San Andres town, these double rooms offer a good level of comfort at a bargain price.

Mahalo House | Its location outside of the town, but not immediately on the doorstep of any beach, is most likely the reason that Maholo is available for such a good nightly price. It’s got two adorable dogs, breakfast included, a peaceful and homely location in nature, plus large, clean, modern private rooms. You can also easily catch the bus to town or to the beaches on this side of the island.

Hotel Nomadic Design | This modern and colourful property is a it of a mix between hostel, hotel and guesthouse. Very modern, it’s decorated to a high standard, has an outdoor pool, guest kitchen and great reviews. Doubles are on the pricier side.

Other good value guesthouses that caught our eye include: Alojamiento San Martín, Posada Nativa Licy, La Posada De Lulú, Casa Royal Palm Inn and The Rock House Eco.

If you stay at a different guesthouse in San Andres which you think deserves a mention here, then please let us know so we can take a look!

Best Airbnb Apartments in San Andres

There are an increasing number of Airbnbs on the island, offering everything from luxurious modern apartments in the centre, to modest apartments along the coast, and large beach houses perfect for an island escape.

All at a variety of different price points. In fact, in many cases, an Airbnb can offer an affordable private accommodation experience in San Andres, sometimes working out much cheaper than a guesthouse or hostel private room.

We’ve curated a selection of the best on the island for travelling couples below too!

Boho Sai | Located half-way between Playa San Luis and Cocoplum Bay, this small but perfectly formed top floor apartment is one of our top picks. Ideal for a couple, it’s got a wonderful treehouse vibe, is well-designed and has excellent reviews.

There are a few Airbnbs in this general area that really piqued our interest, including the apartments available within the complex Casa Corales. ‘Paraiso’ is a two-bed option with lots of space, whereas ‘Palermas’ is better suited to a couple who plan on eating out at least some of the time.

The Palm Beach House | A literal beach front cabaña on Playa San Luis, this charming property is split across two floors and has been exquisitely decorated and furnished. Whilst it’s definitely on the pricier side for San Andrés, honestly, we’d stay here in a heartbeat.

Exclusive Suite | Located just behind Cocoplum, this property offers two independent guest suites within a family property. Each is tastefully decorated, light, bright and airy and offers cooking facilities, a private balcony and use of the property’s shared pool.

Clau’s House | This fantastic little two-bedroom apartment in San Luis is simple, modern, excellently priced (around $40USD per night) and has really excellent reviews.

This simple apartment and Duffis Apartment are a couple of other excellently priced options in San Luis.

There are an abundance of modern and more luxurious apartment options available in the many high-rise blocks that have popped up in San Andrés’ downtown area - like this one and this one - and these actually constitute the vast majority of the island’s Airbnb options. If you don’t mind the busyness of this area, and would happily be somewhere central and modern, a few other properties that stood out to us include:

· One-bedroom Hermoso Apartamento

· Recently remodelled Hansa Reef Apartment

· The popular two-bedroom Sunrise 2

· Full facilities, two bedroom apartment within hotel complex

For those keen to stay in this area, but without the need for all the luxuries of the above apartments, Apartamento Sweet Coconut, Posada Nativa and Casa Navegart are fantastic little options.

If you’re travelling with extended family or a large group of friends, there are several properties that cater to bigger groups including this modern beach house, Penelope Beach House, and this stunning four-bedroom villa.

Best Boutique & Luxurious San Andres Hotels

If you’re heading to San Andres and would prefer to stretch your budget and have a little luxury or a full-on hotel experience in the Caribbean, then check out our following recommendations:

Nattivo Collection Hotel | If you’re looking for a stunning, luxurious and contemporary hotel in San Andrés, this is our absolute top pick Located overlooking Playa Principal, it offers large, beautifully designed rooms and a rooftop pool with ocean views.

Hotel Reina del Mar By Dorado | Offering modern cabanas on Rocky Cay Beach, this accommodation isn’t super luxurious, but its location - literally on the sand - lends itself to the perfect tropical escape.

Casa Harb Hotel Boutique | Located on the north west of the island (which means fantastic swimming spots but no beach in the immediate vicinity), this intimate hotel has been exquisitely decorated, and each room is large, considered and unique. They also have a wonderful pool area and guests speak very highly of the service.

In Di House of Reggae Boutique is a fantastic option if you’re wanting something a little more luxurious than the standard San Andres guesthouse, but can’t stretch to the fancy hotels mentioned above.